Why the hatred?

[Tonart]

head... heard... gotta be careful confusing those two.

LOL I was testing u guys

 

[shimmilou]

LOL elvis!

 

[Clashcityrocker]

I think maybe 50% of players I've heard aren't crazy about the birds. I would like to see a more generic block inlay as an option. I know a lot of people like nitro finishes and only some of PRS's have this. There is so many models which is a good thing but they aren't all available at most stores to play. There are so many models of PRS guitars that I've never even played and I'm a big fan. Wouldn't it be great to have a PRS store in major cities that had everything? Like the Nike store remember that?

 

[Mark Bois]

I bought a PRS SE Santana when they first came out and did not like it. For one it didn't look like a Santana guitar second I really didn't like the sound of the pickups, but it played well. First impressions are a huge factor in brand loyalty. Fast forward to late 2018 got a 408 on trade and loved it now also have a 2004 McCarty with a Rosewood neck and a 2019 S2 Singlecut Semi Hollow. Love them all,got rid of all my Gibson's because of their corporate bullying.

 

[alantig]

I think maybe 50% of players I've heard aren't crazy about the birds. I would like to see a more generic block inlay as an option.

"I want to stand out, make my mark, be unique - and I want to do it looking and sounding just like everyone else."

 

[bodia]

Oh, and solid pink or wood grain? I’m less of a fan of solid, my husband on the other hand loves a classic!

I'll never pass up an opportunity to post a pic of a pink guitar!

 

[Heidi Korsmo]

I'll never pass up an opportunity to post a pic of a pink guitar!

Pretty and unique, burst, maple neck, hum single hum!

 

[John]

From what I've seen, quite a bit of the 'hatred' stems from older folks buying one and expecting it to just be exactly like a Gibson or a Fender down to every last detail. It's not, it's a separate entity, which I find for the better.
I shudder to think of PRS lowering their bar to Gibson's "authentic" territory, haha.

 

[Heidi Korsmo]

From what I've seen, quite a bit of the 'hatred' stems from older folks buying one and expecting it to just be exactly like a Gibson or a Fender down to every last detail. It's not, it's a separate entity, which I find for the better.
I shudder to think of PRS lowering their bar to Gibson's "authentic" territory, haha.

I never understand this if you want Gibson, buy one! Play a bunch of guitars and buy the one that suits you based on what it does for you.

 

[bodia]

Pretty and unique, burst, maple neck, hum single hum!

Thanks! It's a Wood Library 509 that Brian's Guitars did. Swamp ash back, maple cap, maple neck and fret board. Those are actually 5 single coil pickups (the 5 in 509) that can produce 9 different pick up combinations using the mini toggles and 5 way blade.

 

[bodia]

As for the hate thing; I have to agree about the "all our heroes", "all the best sounds" etc statements. I don't think that hate is specific to PRS. Heck, look how G gets bashed every time they try to step away from 1958-1960. Granted, some of their "innovations" have not been good, but still.

 

[Heidi Korsmo]

Thanks! It's a Wood Library 509 that Brian's Guitars did. Swamp ash back, maple cap, maple neck and fret board. Those are actually 5 single coil pickups (the 5 in 509) that can produce 9 different pick up combinations using the mini toggles and 5 way blade.

WOW!

 

[Mozzi]

Thanks! It's a Wood Library 509 that Brian's Guitars did. Swamp ash back, maple cap, maple neck and fret board. Those are actually 5 single coil pickups (the 5 in 509) that can produce 9 different pick up combinations using the mini toggles and 5 way blade.

And a great looking one at that!

I assume that the combination of those woods push the guitar - mostly the Single Coil sounds more towards the Stratty/tele side compared to the more LP Humbucker side as the standard Mahogany build is. I wouldn't swap mine for a Wood Library build personally but I can see why some may want that if they already have the more LP type Humbucker sounds that other PRS guitars offer.

I know its not right to say more LP or more Stratty with PRS guitars that are clearly their own thing but I am using these words to describe where the sound 'fits' between the two ends of that spectrum with A Les Paul (24.75" scale, double humbucker Mahogany based guitar with fixed bridge) and a Strat (25.5" scale, 3 Single coil, Ash/elder body/maple neck trem bridge guitar) at the other end - two very different guitars.

I assume (rightly or wrongly) that my standard 509 is more a double Humbucker type with the options of the Single coils and yours is more a 3 SC guitar with the option to make the Bridge/Neck into Humbuckers. I assume your SC sounds are closer to the stratty end than mine but mine maybe a bit closer to the LP double Humbucker sounds. Whether that is the case or not, they are great versatile instruments.

 

[bodia]

And a great looking one at that!

I assume that the combination of those woods push the guitar - mostly the Single Coil sounds more towards the Stratty/tele side compared to the more LP Humbucker side as the standard Mahogany build is. I wouldn't swap mine for a Wood Library build personally but I can see why some may want that if they already have the more LP type Humbucker sounds that other PRS guitars offer.

I know its not right to say more LP or more Stratty with PRS guitars that are clearly their own thing but I am using these words to describe where the sound 'fits' between the two ends of that spectrum with A Les Paul (24.75" scale, double humbucker Mahogany based guitar with fixed bridge) and a Strat (25.5" scale, 3 Single coil, Ash/elder body/maple neck trem bridge guitar) at the other end - two very different guitars.

I assume (rightly or wrongly) that my standard 509 is more a double Humbucker type with the options of the Single coils and yours is more a 3 SC guitar with the option to make the Bridge/Neck into Humbuckers. I assume your SC sounds are closer to the stratty end than mine but mine maybe a bit closer to the LP double Humbucker sounds. Whether that is the case or not, they are great versatile instruments.

Thanks! I would say it is more F leaning than the Core version. I think that's what prompted a few of us to get on board with Brian to do this (thanks again Tosca!). Just something a little different, in wood combos you don't see often.

 

[John]

I never understand this if you want Gibson, buy one! Play a bunch of guitars and buy the one that suits you based on what it does for you.

My thought's exactly. It never made sense to slag on PRS for something it's not even trying to clone. I never associated with buzz words like the "Gibson sound" anyway, whatever it may be. Even then, most of the musicians referenced for that kind of thing are not even folks I have any vested interest in sounding like.
I just need a guitar that looks nice, sounds nice, has the features I need, and is comfortable. So far, my PRS guitars have fulfilled those requirements.

 

[Mozzi]

As for the hate thing; I have to agree about the "all our heroes", "all the best sounds" etc statements. I don't think that hate is specific to PRS. Heck, look how G gets bashed every time they try to step away from 1958-1960. Granted, some of their "innovations" have not been good, but still.

Hate towards G maybe because of the consistency of the Quality Control and the attempts to bring their models into the 21st Century - not all of them bad at all but I do feel that a lot of PRS hate is more directed at the buyers and owners of these instruments even Paul himself. I know there is still some directed at the instruments themselves but there is still a lot of hate that is more personal attacks on people.

The whole Doctor/Lawyer thing for a start is an attack on the people who buy guitars - that we are not 'musicians' wanting the 'best' tool for the job but someone who buys these as wall art. The amount of comments that also attack Paul and blame him as a reason not to buy is a personal attack. If all you ever hear of PRS guitars is those demo's that run through the same notes in every Pick-up combination, I can understand why they lack soul because the person playing isn't injecting any - its a sterile thing with no emotion - just an exercise to show the difference in tone that switching between the PU's bring - but in the hands of someone creating 'music', these guitars are amazing, dynamic and allow the musician to inject their soul and emotion into the music they are playing. That doesn't mean that they have no soul, no character of their own, but that they also reflect the soul and passion of the musician to shine through.

I know this is nothing new to those here but I still feel it had to be said. I can tolerate most things but 'idiocy' and 'ignorance' are traits that really test my tolerance level. I can understand why quite a few of them may not have had the opportunity to actually try a 'core' PRS and even the S2 range maybe out of reach too. I get that these are out of many peoples financial reach which is where the SE range though could be more accessible - especially the Standard 24 but you also can't judge 'PRS' on those guitars as they are not built by PRS. No disrespect at all to the SE range but they are made for PRS not made by PRS. I see the same people that make a lot of these 'negative' comments are Haley Benton, Squire and Epiphone (or other guitars under $500/£500) players so aren't likely to have had any experience with PRS at even SE level. I see every week in youtube live chats/comments by people that have tried an SE and love it more than they expected because they believed the BS but unfortunately, I also see the same 'hate'. I am not American so have no 'loyalty' or a sense of national pride by buying PRS. In the UK, these are 'imports' to me too but I still can't understand why US based people are so quick to attack and hate PRS instead of having a sense of pride that Paul has assembled an amazing team of workers that can consistently make such high quality instruments that are renown the world over. Where is the sense of pride that PRS guitars has built up such a great reputation?

As I said, its nothing that people here don't already know...

 

[strat63]

I will never understand hate for an entire brand but you see it all the time. What brand gets bashed depends on the forum you're on. Clearly posts on this forum are complimentary to PRS and they should be. I've seen plenty of put downs of Gibson and Fender here although it's usually a little more subtle.

I don't always play PRS but I do love a good success story. The quality of the early production guitars changed the whole industry in my opinion. They raised the bar and made others step up so even if you didn't buy a PRS, you could benefit from their workmanship. Hard to hate that.

 

[Heidi Korsmo]

I will never understand hate for an entire brand but you see it all the time. What brand gets bashed depends on the forum you're on. Clearly posts on this forum are complimentary to PRS and they should be. I've seen plenty of put downs of Gibson and Fender here although it's usually a little more subtle.

I don't always play PRS but I do love a good success story. The quality of the early production guitars changed the whole industry in my opinion. They raised the bar and made others step up so even if you didn't buy a PRS, you could benefit from their workmanship. Hard to hate that.

I can understand bashing inferior quality, but if something is well made and doesn’t suit your particular needs/wants, shut up!

 

[Casi1]

Yup. There will always be comparisons to those 50s and 60s Golden era guitars... it’s both a blessing and a curse. How many times do we describe a PRS by how stratty or LP-ish it is? I get that it’s a sound, a tone, that we are relating the PRS to, but doing so does pit the PRS up against the Strat and the LP... and to the Strat player or the LP player, that comparison usually ends up in PRS hate territory. They state the obvious: that the PRS is not a Strat and it’s not a LP. Well duh. Also, it’s a gamble to try to create a better upgraded clone of the Strat and the LP. I remember that the SS created lots of initial hate and discontent, lol, just like the 594 did. Some of those initial haters ended up selling their strats and LPs though.

I am one of those people who finally came to grips with the fact that my awesome PRS guitars will never sound exactly like a Strat or a LP. The PRSi could get close but that’s all. So I finally bought a Strat and a LP to go with my PRS. But it took a long time for me to come to that conclusion. Up until then, I had been trying to convince myself that ‘close’ was enough and it wasn’t. Now that I have Gibson’s and Fenders, I can fully appreciate the uniqueness of my PRS guitars, but prior to adding those two, I was growing frustrated with the PRS tone. It was never ‘hate’ but the frustration was very real despite the fact that I loved the PRS quality and body shape.

Now my Fenders, Gibson’s, and PRSi all play nicely together in the sandbox.

 

[László]

Yup. There will always be comparisons to those 50s and 60s Golden era guitars... it’s both a blessing and a curse. How many times do we describe a PRS by how stratty or LP-ish it is? I get that it’s a sound, a tone, that we are relating the PRS to, but doing so does pit the PRS up against the Strat and the LP... and to the Strat player or the LP player, that comparison usually ends up in PRS hate territory. They state the obvious: that the PRS is not a Strat and it’s not a LP. Well duh. Also, it’s a gamble to try to create a better upgraded clone of the Strat and the LP. I remember that the SS created lots of initial hate and discontent, lol, just like the 594 did. Some of those initial haters ended up selling their strats and LPs though.

I am one of those people who finally came to grips with the fact that my awesome PRS guitars will never sound exactly like a Strat or a LP. The PRSi could get close but that’s all. So I finally bought a Strat and a LP to go with my PRS. But it took a long time for me to come to that conclusion. Up until then, I had been trying to convince myself that ‘close’ was enough and it wasn’t. Now that I have Gibson’s and Fenders, I can fully appreciate the uniqueness of my PRS guitars, but prior to adding those two, I was growing frustrated with the PRS tone. It was never ‘hate’ but the frustration was very real despite the fact that I loved the PRS quality and body shape.

Now my Fenders, Gibson’s, and PRSi all play nicely together in the sandbox.

I like this post, but in truth, the Silver Sky does sound like a ‘64 Strat. Just sayin’.